1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a control apparatus, and more particularly to a control apparatus that outputs the same movement commands as a joystick.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is a method for outputting the same commands as a joystick to an object of control by means of a personal computer and a mouse. More specifically, a plurality of control buttons are displayed as icons on a display of the personal computer as shown in FIG. 6. A pointer 1 is moved onto a desired control button with the mouse, and the control button is clicked to output a movement command as if a joystick is tilted in a direction by a degree corresponding to the clicked button.
The conventional method, however, has the following disadvantages. The moving direction and the speed can only be designated according to the control buttons, and thus, it is impossible to finely adjust the direction and the speed. Moreover, the pointer 1 must be moved to another control button each time the direction and the speed are changed, and hence it is impossible to operate the mouse while looking at the object of control all the time. Furthermore, the personal computer is not as easy to operate as the joystick.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control apparatus, which is able to finely adjust the direction and the speed by moving a pointer on a display and is as easy to operate as the joystick.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a control apparatus, comprising: a display for displaying a field frame and a pointer; an input device for moving the pointer on the display; and an output device for outputting a command to move an object of control only when the pointer is positioned in the field frame, the output device outputting the command in accordance with a vector starting at a center of the field frame and ending at a position of the pointer.
According to the present invention, the field frame and the pointer are displayed on the display. When the pointer is moved within in the field frame on the display, the output device outputs the movement commands in accordance with the vector starting at the center of the field frame and ending at the position of the pointer. More specifically, the moving direction and speed of the object of control can be designated only by moving the pointer in the field frame. There is no necessity of clicking the command input means every time a movement command is outputted, and it is possible to finely adjust the moving direction and speed of the object of control.
According to the present invention, a picture of a joystick, corresponding to the vector starting at the center of the field frame and ending at a position of the pointer, is displayed in the field frame. The visual effects are such that the operator feels as if he or she was operating the joystick.
The object of control may be a remote control pan head comprising a panning apparatus and a tilting apparatus, and the command from the output device is used to drive the panning apparatus and the tilting apparatus at a speed ratio corresponding to a direction of the vector.
Preferably, when a control mode is set in response to a predetermined command while the pointer is positioned in the field frame, the pointer is prohibited from exiting the field frame and a shape of the pointer is changed; and when the control mode is cancelled in response to a predetermined command, the shape of the pointer is returned to an original shape and the pointer is allowed to exit the field frame.